


Void Memories

by TrickDa



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Angst, Creeper Hybrid Sam | Awesamdude (Video Blogging RPF), Enderman Hybrid Ranboo, Fox Hybrid Floris | Fundy, Ghost Wilbur Soot, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrid Alexis | Quackity, Hybrid Badboyhalo (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrid Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrid Ranboo, Hybrid Toby Smith | Tubbo, Hybrids, Memory Loss, Piglin Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), no beta we die like ranboo to clarencio
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28298664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrickDa/pseuds/TrickDa
Summary: Ranboo appeared on the Dream SMP, just as confused as everyone else as to how he got there. He could remember next to nothing about his past, why he was here, or truly who he was. Only coming in with basic knowledge of the world, he will learn who to trust and what his place is on the SMP.(I'm bad at summaries and I just want more Ranboo fanfiction so I decided to make it myself. Will add tags when necessary)THIS IS NOT RPF this is fiction based on the characters in SMP, not the people themselves.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo
Comments: 47
Kudos: 643





	1. [Ranboo joined the game]

The forest was quiet, the default spawn was just cast in a midday glow as nothing seemed to happen around it. Unlike most servers where the spawn was a grand place of high foot traffic, the introduction to the world at large, this one was quiet. Haphazardly built walls, an ugly thing of dirt and cobble that in all honesty was falling apart, surrounded the point. If it wasn’t for the significance of the area itself, these ruins would have been long forgotten by now, but as it stands the walls remain the only marker for this important spot. A spot that everyone has been to at least once, for it is the invisible gateway that all must enter to join the server at large.

A spawn, which had gone unused for a while.

“Had” being the key term in that statement.

* * *

_‘Why is it so dark?’_ Was the first thought that came to the entities mind, their own thoughts as foreign as the situation itself. The creature was confused by his very existence, suddenly there, feeling, being.

Had he ever existed before? He can’t remember.

Why can’t he remember?

His body felt stiff, though unharmed, nothing hurt thankfully. He was laying down, body flat against a surface unknown to him. He tried moving his arm first and felt it brush through something he couldn’t name for the life of him. What was this?

_'Grass’_ his mind supplied, yeah grass sounded about right, grass which grew from the ground.

Wait, the ground, why was he on the ground, and what was that incessant humming.

Suddenly two heterochromatic eyes, one red and one green shot open before quickly closing again, overwhelmed by the harsh morning light. A hand went up to block out the harsh sun as the person began to slowly, experimentally, open his eyes again. He was met with a jet black hand blocking the harsh light and was surrounded by what looked to be spruce trees. _‘Why did I know the name of those trees?’_ he thought absently, no answer for his query. Using his other arm to push himself up, he pulled in his long legs so he could sit on the forest floor. 

He looked himself over, inspecting his jet black right hand, noticing an almost purplish tint to it, before going to his left hand and noticing the stark contrast. The other limb was white, with little bits of light grey in there. Going from his hand up he noticed the outfit he currently wore, a suit, _‘your suit’_ his mind once again supplied. The outfit, which should stand out in the middle of a forest, seemed to make perfect sense to the confused character. It was familiar, be he didn’t know why.

Taking a moment to mull over his current situation, the boy began to hear the humming that had initially made him open his eyes, the noise he ultimately tuned out. Quickly as if on alert he began to look for the source of the assaulting sound only to find a tablet-like device _‘your communicator’_ his mind so graciously supplied. The device sat face down in the grass, half black and half white, evenly split down the middle. Once again it hummed, the device shifting slightly as it vibrated, a signal of some kind.

Picking up the device, he found that it rested comfortably in his hands, a familiar weight that should bring back memories but he knew nothing. Flipping it over, he was greeted with a reflective surface, allowing the boy to see his face. Just like the case and his hands, his face was black and white, the colors meeting in the middle. The split wasn’t perfect, the two sides seemed to fight for dominance of the middle of his face, and even then his cheeks were dotted with freckles of the opposing color. 

Red and green eyes trailed up still to see short hair that matched his monochromatic color scheme, and atop his head sat a crown with red and green stones. The weight of the accessory on his head only now seemed to register for the boy. He reached up, planning to inspect the crown further, completely forgetting about the actual use of the communicator outside of its reflective properties. So transfixed by his own appearance, it took the device vibrating once again to shake him from his thoughts.

Turning back to the task at hand, he turned on the communicator, the screen lit up replacing his visage with that of an interface. The interface had a global chat and private chat option, the former of the two indicating that it had unread messages. Everything about this seemed to tickle at the back of his mind, he knew how to use the device but the boy could have sworn this was the first time he had ever seen it. Somehow he knew to click on the global chat icon.

He opened the global chat and quickly realized why the device sounded like an angry bee. Messages flooded in from multiple people, names he didn’t recognize, all confused and looking for answers. Looking for context as to why everyone in this chat was freaking out, he scrolled up, he scrolled until the chat no longer allowed him to and the first few messages read.

* * *

**[Ranboo joined the game]**

**< Punz>: **HUH

**< Punz>: **HUH

**< Punz>: **HUH

* * *

_‘Ranboo, my name is Ranboo.’_

Now he had a name and a face, but who was he? Ranboo was unsure, confused, and as he read through the chat log following his arrival he found more questions than answers. A person named Punz continued to spam “HUH”, in between the spam, messages from names that sparked no recognition began to come in. A “wtf” here, a “who is that” there, the majority seemed to be addressed towards a “Dream” who seemed equally as confused. 

The most recent message read simply:

**< Dream>:** Ranboo, who are you and how did you get on this Server.

Ranboo replied honestly:

**< Ranboo>:** I don’t know, and I don’t know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its been a long while since I have written actual fanfiction, but I felt the lack of Ranboo-centric fiction was an injustice and decided to put my hyperfixation to good use
> 
> This has a lot of AU material thrown in and I may make a prelude "fic" to explain the background lore of the fic. I'm just playing around with what I like.
> 
> Feel free to suggest anything you may like, not everything is set in stone but I do have a general idea of where this fic will go.


	2. /tp Dream Ranboo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream and Ranboo both have questions, but they don't have answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dream and Ranboo meet! Sorry for the long wait on an update, I got busy and it took me some time to write this.
> 
> Longer chapter, expect chapters to be longer like this!

**[Ranboo joined the game]**

Those four words popped up on everyone's communicators, and the fallout was instantaneous. It wasn't often that Dream would whitelist someone new, allowing them access to the Greater Dream SMP, but when he did it was usually multiple players, and there was a prior warning to the other members of the server. Philza was the only exception to this pattern, but for good reason. 

Now, after the new wave of people had already joined, and the server was still recovering from a major war, the new status quo did not need to be sturred like this. Dream did not need another variable to account for right now. The masked man contemplated banning the intruder then and there, but that would lead to people questioning the safety of the server. What was stopping more randoms from joining if this one got through?

The people were looking to Dream for answers he didn't have.

So he asked his own question. 

**< Dream>:** Ranboo, who are you and how did you get on this Server.

And was surprised by the answer he got.

 **< Ranboo>:** I don’t know, and I don’t know.

Now of course this unknown variable could be lying, but what reason would he have. Surely the intrusive player would expect a well-deserved ban by now, why lie when you're seconds away from being kicked out. 'I don't know, and I don't know' the answer mulled around in his head, not only did the player claim ignorance to how they got onto the private server, this Ranboo seemed to not know who they are. Now, why would someone lie about that, maybe to garner pity, _'maybe they really don't know?'_ , a voice in the back of his mind chimed in.

While mulling over the possibilities, the global chat was filled with people asking more questions about the situation. A few distinct pings from private messages did not go unnoticed, however, they did go unread, messages from Bad, George, and surprisingly Tubbo, no doubt about this mysterious player. He needed to investigate this, now, before people begin to question his ability as an Admin.

Dream quickly wrote out a message in the global chat before sending it, closing out of the chat on his communicator the Admin opened up console command typed out a simple command.

**/tp Dream Ranboo**

* * *

Ranboo watched the global chat following his admission of ignorance, it took a few moments before players began to reply with new vigor. His multicolor eyes scanned the replies that came in as he was unsure of what else he could do. He didn't know where he was, _who he was_ , or what he was meant to be doing in this strange place. So he just sat there, absently staring at his communicator, hoping to find answers to his questions.

It only took a few moments for Dream to reply to his message, or rather, to the chat as a whole, with a simple:

 **< Dream>:** Don't worry everyone, I'll get to the bottom of this

Ranboo was about to reply to Dream's message seeing as this person seemed to hold some level of authority over those in the chat, he would have asked, well he doesn't know what he would have asked. Regardless, his chance to ask a question over the chat was foiled by the sudden appearance of a hooded and masked figure in front of him. 

If Ranboo was being completely honest, he wasn’t surprised by the act of someone appearing in front of him. In fact, he was more surprised by his seemingly subconscious lack of surprise over the act. These little things, things he knew about or was familiar with, without understanding why were starting to build up, and the continued lack of context over his situation seemed to just give him a migraine. That being said, the boy should be more worried about the figure in front of him, an imminent threat, and not his memory problems.

The man stood at the edge of the clearing, shaded by the pine trees that seemed to grow in this wooded area. He was armed to the teeth, netherite armor that pulsed, a glowing purple sheen that signified the power within; an ax made of similar material in one hand, the blade just as deadly as the man who owned it; clutched in the other hand was a shield of wood and iron.

At this point, the person loomed over the still seated Ranboo, the mask, a simple smile on a white background, did nothing to smother the instinctual fear that Ranboo felt. Two simple black dots stared into Ranboo’s soul, striking fear that regular eyes never could. They sat in silence for a few moments, Ranboo too afraid to move as the figure judged him in silence.

The masked figure made the first move, stepping forward out of the shade and into the clearing and speaking up, “What are y-”

“Aaaahh-ohhh god!” Ranboo yelled, reflexively throwing up his hands in defense, turning his head away from what was most definitely an oncoming attack.

* * *

Dream doesn’t know what he expected to see when he teleported to the unknown variable, he would have been foolish to assume that the player was human, about half of the players on his SMP were hybrids after all, but he had never seen someone quite like this _Ranboo_ character. Hybrids came in all shapes and sizes depending on how much of their code is glitched, you can have fully anthropomorphic mob looking players like Fundy or Ant, or something a little more subtle like Schlatt and Tubbo. They didn’t even need to be passive mobs, Technoblade was an excellent example of that, a full-fledged Piglin Hybrid. 

But Ranboo was different, his form seemingly cut in half, two sides, both very clearly not human. He had an idea of what Ranboo could be, the darkness of one side along with his height gave major hints, but the other half had him stumped. Ghast is the first thing that comes to mind there, but to his knowledge Ghast hybrids were nonexistent. Not to mention duel hybrids were so incredibly rare. Maybe it was a weird pigmentation glitch, possibly.

Dream kept his eyes on the intruder, waiting for them to make the first move. It was a long stair down before the Admin realized that the player was, quite possibly, paralyzed in fear. Letting out a barely audible sigh, he took a step forward and began to speak up, only for the player to scream and teleport a few blocks back.

 _‘Definitely an Enderman Hybrid of some kind.’_ Dream thought to himself.

* * *

“Aah-oh god, oh god, no no no, please don’t hurt me! Oh god, oh god please no.” Ranboo continued to sputter out, eyes closed, arms up, waiting for the attack that was surely coming any second now.

“Quit it! I’m not going to kill you..” The mysterious stranger piped up over Ranboo’s continued please for mercy. 

This gave Ranboo pause, and for a moment he quieted down. Arms still up to protect himself, he opened a red eye to look. The first thing he noticed was that the stranger was farther away now, which was odd since he was still just at the tree line, no farther into the trees. That made no sense, how did they get farther apart if the masked guy didn’t move. Slowly he opened up another eye and turned his head from side to side in confusion. Had he moved, that pool of water to his right was farther back if he remembered correctly, not next to him. He even noticed a small indentation in the grass in front of him, a clear indication of him being there before, but the grass between the two points was undisturbed.

 _‘You teleported’_ the voice in the back of his mind provided, which seemed to make sense to him subconsciously, but at the moment in left more questions unanswered. 

At some point his hands fell back down to his lap, his confused gaze resting on the patch of trampled grass, a space he once occupied, the masked figure almost completely forgotten.

Almost.

Because it seemed that the person took the moment he was lost in thought to once again close the gap between the two, and Ranboo was once again reminded of his presence when two glowing purple boots trampled over his previous resting place. Ranboo instantly jumped, gaze shooting up to meet the mask’s two dots once again. The figure looked at him for a moment before tilting his head slightly, as if curious.

“W-who are you?” Ranboo asked with a shudder, unsure if he was even allowed to speak.

“I’m Dream, the same one in chat, and I am the soul Admin of this server.” The no longer mysterious man spoke up. Now Ranboo had a, well he didn’t exactly have a face, a mask to the name. 

Ranboo, while unfamiliar with the term “Admin”, could guess from context clues that the title held some weight.

“W-well, hi Dream s-sir. Could you p-please put your axe down if you’re not going to k-kill me?” Ranboo spoke up, unsure of his words, worried that one wrong move could be his last. For someone who couldn’t remember the life he lived up until now, he sure had a sense of preservation for it.

Dream turned to his ax, looking at the offending item before ultimately slinging it across his back. Ranboo let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, grateful that the item was no longer out to threaten his life.

Turning back to face the monochromatic man, Dream spoke up, “Okay axe away, but in return, I need some answers, deal?”

“Oh definitely deal! I am all for that trade!” Ranboo replied enthusiastically, he would happily trade information for his life any day.

“Okay, then you wouldn’t mind giving me a real answer to my question over chat. Who are you and how did you get on this server.” Dream stated simply.

Ranboo didn’t know what to say to that, after all his previous answer was his real answer. Would this Dream guy not like his answer, would he kill him for answering truthfully?

“Sir, my name is Ranboo and I honestly just woke up here. Like seriously, I woke up, and I just can’t remember anything before this. Like I did remember my name, yes but that was after I turned on the strange device and scrolled up. Things keep happening and I don’t know how and it’s like I subconsciously know how things are but I don’t know why and I-”

“Stop.” Dream stated simply, causing Ranboo to instantly shut his mouth.

Dream was willing to let the kid continue to spill his guts, but he was tired of hearing the rush of words that came out of the boy’s mouth. It was clear that this hybrid was clueless, earlier he seemed surprised by his own, seemingly accidental, teleportation. Something was happening here and neither one had the answers Dream wanted. If he could, he would be pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance but as it stands he had to display some form of compassion for the newcomer.

“Listen, kid, it is obvious you have no clue what is going on. How about I show you to the Server proper, I’ll get a couple of my friends together and maybe we can figure out what to do with you.” Dream stated simply, Ranboo gave a simple nod towards the masked man, and Dream to this as an invitation for him to close the gap between the two.

He noticed the minor flinch from Ranboo, who wasn’t expecting him to get closer.

Now Dream stood towering over Ranboo, casting a shadow on the boy as he slowly reached his hand out, offering to help Ranboo up.

Ranboo, confused by the hand now in his face, was once again surprised by his body acting on its own, his hand reaching out to grasp Dream’s. With a quick yank, Ranboo was pulled into a standing position and was surprised by his own height. Standing a whole head taller than Dream, he had to look down to meet the mask’s gaze now, not up.

Dream, however, was not surprised at all. Enderman hybrids were known for their height, among other things, after all. The kid was all legs and spindly arms and despite his intimidating size, the kid clearly wasn’t a threat to anyone. Despite this, Dream still had Ranboo walk in front of him, where Dream could see him, as he guided the hybrid towards the castle.

While they walked, Dream sent a quick message to the global chat.

 **< Dream>:** Alright, everyone calm down, the situation is under control.

Followed by sending out a quick private message to George, Callahan, Punz, Bad, Sam, Tubbo, Tommy, and Quackity, each reading the same thing.

 **< Dream>:** Meet at the Castle, we have a situation to discuss.


	3. Walk and Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While they walk back to the main area of the SMP Dream decides to ease Ranboo's nerves with some small talk, only to realize just how little the hybrid knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of an in-between chapter for the last one and the next [the meeting]  
> I have found myself in a writing mood tonight so I thought why not get a couple of chapters out!
> 
> This chapter is sort of dialog heavy so I apologize, it's a bit of exposition to help you all better understand the world I am trying to create.   
> The next chapter will be a long one, so I decided to make the walk between Spawn and Erets Castle its own chapter to make it all more digestible.
> 
> Thank you all for the wonderful comments! Makes me all the more excited to write for you all!

Ranboo walked with a stiff gate as he was guided towards an unknown location, when compared to Dream’s seemingly unbothered posture, it was clear who was in control. While the enderman hybrid had the size advantage no doubt, the masked man holds an untold amount of power that scared Ranboo to no end. He could feel the man’s eyes on him, even if they were obscured by the mask, and it made the multicolored hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Shaking like a leaf, he moved with uncertainty, despite how seemingly kind Dream has been to him up until this point something about the man just kicked Ranboos fight or flight into high gear, and every part of him wanted to distance himself from the man.

Dream, in contrast, put up a cool, calm, and collected facade for the new player. He hoped it would put the hybrid at ease, but it was obvious that Ranboo was too high strung at the moment. 

So Dream tried small talk, “So Ranboo, what kind of hybrid are you?”, a simple question, just to break the ice.

Ranboo had jumped at the sudden question, turning back to look at Dream for the umpteenth time during their little hike, unlike those times he held the Masks gaze rather than quickly turning back to what was ahead. Before his looks were quick and fleeting with a worried expression, this time, a look of confusion was painted across his face. His mouth opened as if to answer but nothing came out, suddenly Ranboo stopped causing Dream to stop in turn. Ranboo was at a loss for a second before ultimately building up the courage to turn around and face Dream.

“Um, what’s a hybrid?” The question came out a little high pitched as if Ranboo was unsure if he should even ask. Obviously, he was a hybrid, seeing as Dream asked, but the tall man did not know what the word meant. Honestly, Ranboo had just assumed up until this point that Dream looked like him under the armor and mask.

Dream was floored by the question, upset that it only added to the growing list of questions he had regarding this mysterious player. If Ranboo didn’t want him to know what type of hybrid he was, then he could have just claimed ignorance. Instead, Ranboo claimed ignorance of the hybrid phenomenon as a whole, something that was common knowledge to the average player.

Not sure where to go from here, Dream decided to explain, “You know, hybrids, players whose code glitched with that of a mob when they were created.”, at the continued look of confusion plastered on Ranboo’s face, Dream continued.

“Hybrids make up about half of the player race, one of the most common glitches in the code. This is really common knowledge; surely, you have at least heard the term hybrid.” Dream added, hoping to jog some sort of memory for the kid.

“No, well maybe, I don’t remember. If I’m being completely honest, I don’t understand half of the terms you’re using either. Hybrids, mobs, glitches, none of this is ringing any bells.” Ranboo stated candidly.

On the plus side, this conversation seems to have eased some of the ender-hybrids nerves. Maybe it was the fact that he could see Dream, maybe it was the conversation distracting him from his current predicament, regardless, Ranboo was calmer than he was before. Not to say Ranboo wasn’t a condensed ball of nerves still, his posture was stiff and he continued to wring his hands absentmindedly; not to mention his sudden aversion to eye contact despite Dream’s eyes being covered, but that could be due to his Enderman nature, Dream couldn’t be sure.

“M-maybe you could explain? Maybe it will jog my memory.” Ranboo spoke in an unsure, but hopeful, tone. It was obvious that the player had been mulling over that question for a while, but only now did it seem like a good time to ask. Dream took a second to think, and in that second Ranboo began to panic.

“It’s alright if you don’t want to! I get that this is probably all things everyone knows, it would probably be so annoying to explain it all to someone. I get it! Forge-”

“Sure, I can try, though some of the others may be better teachers than me.” Came a calm and friendly reply. Now Dream finally had his way in, a way to form a positive relationship with the hybrid, better to keep unknown variables close, easier to keep an eye on them.

Ranboo visibly relaxed much to Dreams delight, a soft “Thank you.” coming out in a sigh of relief.

“We can talk while we walk to the castle, it’s not that far now, but I can give you a rundown of the basics before we meet with the others. My knowledge of hybrids is limited compared to some of the others, so they can better explain that later, but I can tell you what I know about the world in general.” Dream offered, an olive branch of sorts to gain Ranboo’s trust.

“That would be very much appreciated.” Replied Ranboo, a soft smile appearing on his face, relief replacing the fear in his eyes.

Dream gestured for Ranboo to continue walking, and instead of walking with Ranboo in front and Dream following, Dream decided to walk side by side. To the average person, this would be a sign of Dream trusting Ranboo just a little more, a little ground gained towards them both trusting each other. But in reality, Dream simply wanted to be able to see Ranboo’s face while he talked, to be able to gauge the kid’s reaction to the information given. 

“Well let’s start with what type of hybrid you are,” Dream began, Ranboo looking down at the shorter man as they walked, while Dream seemed busy watching the path ahead.

“If I had to guess, you are at least part Enderman hybrid. Enderman are a mob known for their size, dark appearance, and ability to teleport. Seeing as you are almost seven-foot tall, half of you is a similar black color, and you teleported a few blocks, it’s almost a guarantee that you are an ender-hybrid.” Dream supplied.

Ranboo ponder on this for a moment before asking, “Are you an ender-hybrid too? I saw you teleport.”

Dream chuckled a little before replying, “No, I am not a hybrid, I am however this Server’s Admin. As Admin I have powers in this realm specifically, powers like teleporting to players.” There was more Dream could say about Admins, but the less the average player knew about his powers the better. Knowledge was his most trusted power over others after all. The less people knew, the better.

Ranboo seemed to take the answer at face value, silently waiting for more information, which Dream was seemingly happy to supply.

They continued like this for the rest of the walk towards the castle, Dream explaining the basics of the world and Ranboo jumping in when he either had a question or made a connection. Mob basics, passive vs hostile with neutral in between, the basic dangers of the world, how to collect resources. Ranboo was surprised to find all of it making sense, little puzzle pieces coming together and making sense. The basic stuff seemed to already be there in his mind, but he appreciated the refresher leading him to this information. It was like someone was putting together the edges of a puzzle, the picture was definitely not there in full, but the edges helped to get there, giving the other pieces a place to build off of.

Dream was about to touch on glitches when a large stone structure came into view. The grey color of the build offset by the beams of light that stretched towards the sky and the large rainbow flag that flew over it all. Ranboo was at a loss for words when it came to the structure, coming to a stop at the top of the hill him and Dream had crested. Dream gave a soft cuckle, finding the awestruck look on Ranboo’s face a little funny. 

Reaching up to rest a hand on the ender-hybrids shoulder, Dream quickly gained Ranboo’s attention before announcing, “This is Eret’s Castle, named after the original monarch who built it, Eret. He is currently on a leave of absence, and King George is the acting ruler of the SMP as a whole. While I am the Server’s Admin, he currently rules over the SMP territory.” 

Ranboo was at a loss for words as Dream led him towards the front entrance of the castle, their approach leading them towards the side of the castle. Dreams hand moved from his shoulder to his back, as if pushing him along at some point. Ranboo honestly did not know how to feel about the physical contact. He felt it would be rude to move the hand away now, but did not enjoy the closeness of a man who not long ago was holding a weapon that could easily have killed him.

He ultimately did not comment on the touch, though it plagued his thoughts as they walked, and instead tried to focus on moving forward. Dream was guiding him somewhere, somewhere with people he was unfamiliar with. Ranboo did not know how to feel, sure this would most definitely answer some of his questions, but everything was new to him, overwhelmingly so, and he didn’t know how to feel about that. Ranboo didn’t know anything, and that lack of knowledge seemed to weigh heavier and heavier on his shoulders.


	4. Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo and Dream finally make it to Eret's Castle, only for reality to really come crashing down on Ranboo regarding his current circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TRIGGER WARNING**  
> Ranboo has a panic attack in this one, if that can trigger bad memories I suggest skipping this chapter.  
> I'll put a little recap for this chapter in the next chapter's notes for those who didn't read.  
> \---  
> Sorry for the long wait everyone, life stuff happened and then a lot of lore streams happened which made me have to rethink my own plot points.  
> Ranboo Lore POG though let's be honest, the boy deserves an Oscar.

Walking into the castle made Ranboo feel small, to be fair, despite his size Ranboo has consistently felt small since Dream's appearance, but this was a different kind of small. Where Dream made him want to scrunch up and hide within himself like a child, the expansive grey stone walls of the building just made him feel insignificant by comparison. The many rainbow banners and designs helped to break up the grey brick into something more manageable, but considering the day Ranboo has had the entire structure just added to his feeling of being overwhelmed. In the end, the boy decided to just look down at his feet as he and Dream walked, allowing the green man to lead him, the hand still pressed uncomfortably into his back.

They neared whatever destination dream had in mind rather quickly, hushed voices could be heard leading up to the room, but they seemed to quiet down rather quickly as they grew closer. Ranboo decided to look up again, a quick glance towards what was in front of him and towards Dream. An opening to their right was clearly visible, evidently, this room was occupied if the humanoid shadows spilling from the entrance were to be believed. Dream stopped short of the door and met Ranboo’s gaze. 

“Alright,” Dream spoke, any noise coming from the room ahead of them silenced, “the friends I told you about are right though here, let us get them up to speed and see what we can do.”

Ranboo gave a hesitant nod, Dream hummed in reply before finally removing his hand from the hybrids back, walking forward a few steps.

A full-body shiver ran through Ranboo once the hand was removed, the offending appendage no longer there, it felt too nice. Coming back to his senses, Ranboo realized that Dream had stopped, he was looking back at him now, waiting for him to move forward no doubt. Jumping to move, Ranboo quickly began to follow Dream into the unknown.

* * *

The meeting chamber was haphazardly thrown together on short notice, something George had Callahan do once Dream’s message was sent out. The room was rather drab, lacking any of the colors the halls so proudly display. It was simple, the same grey stone walls lining the room, a high ceiling making it almost cavernous. A rectangular dark oak table sat in the middle, chairs, filled with occupants, surrounding it. Simple lanterns strung up by chains hung from the ceiling, dangling over the table to provide extra light that the torches simply did not provide.

A tension seemed to fill the room, though Ranboo was unsure if it was because of him or a result of something beyond him. The people seemed to be watching the entrance, eyes following Dream as he entered before landing on the tall lengthy figure of Ranboo as he passed the threshold. Everything was suddenly too much as seven sets of eyes turned to him, their stares burning into his skin, some making direct eye contact, he didn’t like this, this was too much, too much. He quickly turned his head away from the eyes, his gaze landing on a white mask with two dots and a simple smile.

An inhuman noise passed his lips, a subconscious warble of distress as the ender-hybrid found himself slinking back and curling in on himself. Dream acted as a great shield from the group’s gaze, but he wasn’t enough. Everything was too much.

The sudden weight of everything that had happened up until now hit Ranboo like a sack of bricks. Waking up with no memories, being led by the same man who could have killed him to an unknown place with unknown people, those people, all their eyes glued on him as he began to break down out of seemingly nowhere, it was too much.

_'Where am I?'_

_'Who are we?'_

_'I don’t know?'_

_'Why don’t we know?'_

_'Who am I?'_

_'I don’t kn-'_

“Ranboo.”

Dream, the mask, when did it get so close. Why was the man so close. Too close.

Looking up at Dream, _‘up why up, when we were standing we had to look down’_ , he was met with the same mask, the same dots, the same mimicry of a smile. 

“Ranboo, breathe.”

Why did he need to breathe, he was already breathing, wait,

_‘Since when have I been holding my breath?’_

Letting go of the air he had been holding in, the boy gasped, quickly going from not breathing to hyperventilating.

“Let me try?”

A new voice, since when did someone else get here, where was here. Ranboo quickly tore his gaze from the mask, looking at his surroundings in a daze. Since when was he back in the hallway. Suddenly the cold stone to his back and underneath him became abundantly apparent. How had he ended up on the floor? Turning back to the mask, he found that it no longer faced him, instead, Dream had turned to look at the newcomer. Looking up, Ranboo stared into the eyes of one of Dreams friends, before quickly turning away as if the action had burned him. His panic returned with vigor. Another distressed warble left the hybrid as he continued to hyperventilate.

Dream seemed to weigh his options before ultimately standing up from his crouched position over Ranboo, allowing the other person access. He knew his strengths and weaknesses, and while the green man prided himself on his ability to read people, he lacked true empathy to be able to help others in this much panic. Tubbo, on the other hand, wore his emotions on his sleeve and was a rather empathetic kid. L’Manburg would be a good place for Ranboo to be, close enough that Dream could watch, far enough that Ranboo couldn’t do the same.

The bee-hybrid walked forward, crouching in front of Ranboo, but not nearly as close as Dream had been. Membranous wings lightly buzzed behind him, a sign of the bee boy’s own mounting anxiety, as two antennae flicked about atop his head. 

“Ranboo was it, my name is Tubbo, I’m here to help.” Spoke the boy, his voice holding a slight buzz to it. The hum was nice, soothing even, but it would not be enough to calm the fellow hybrid.

“Ranboo, I need you to focus on my voice okay, I need you to focus on my voice a breathe, can you do that.” The kid in question, currently looking to his right, staring down the hallway with glazed over eyes, gave a quick nod.

“Okay good Ranboo, now breathe in for me,” Ranboo breathed in rapidly, “that’s it now hold that breath for a few seconds.” Ranboo did as he was instructed, cheeks puffed out, straining to hold the breath. “Alright now breath out slowly for me, I’ll count down okay 10… 9…” Ranboo let out the breath he held slow and steadily, following the count that this Tubbo character gave of, finding himself focusing on only that.

“...2...1, alright good!” Tubbo sounded proud of himself at the moment.

“Okay, Ranboo, can you name five things you can see right now?”

Why did he have to name off what he could see? 

“I see the stone walls, the torches, Dream’s shoes, the shadows, the floor.”

Why did he reply so quickly?

Tubbo continued, “Alright then! Now four things you can feel!” 

“The cold floor, the cold wall, my clothing, my crown”

The weight of that crown had a way of sneaking up on Ranboo.

“Alright now three things you can hear!” Tubbo sounded excited to Ranboo, why would he be excited about listing things off?

“Uhh, you? My heartbeat, your wings.” Ranboo supplied, suddenly the wings stopped their buzzing, the owner of them almost feeling embarrassed that they were buzzing without his consent.

“Oh yeah, heh, they do that, oh um, two things you can smell,” Tubbo replied, becoming more bashful.

That one took some thinking, Ranboo took a moment to smell the air before replying, “The smell of burning torches, and, are those baked goods.”

“Oh yeah! Bad brought some muffins with him! You can have some if you like. Oh, also one thing you taste.”

_‘Taste?’_

Ranboo turned to face the bee hybrid, confusion clearly etched on his face. “Taste? What is there to taste other than my own mouth?”

It took Ranboo a second to realize he was currently staring at this Tubbo person. The bee hybrid had a warm yet concerned gaze, but unlike before the gaze felt welcoming. It was nice when you could put a face to the person you were talking to, instead of just a simple mask.


	5. Meet at the Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo meets President Tubbo!  
> Also a meeting still needs to take place, regardless of Ranboo being there or not.
> 
> For those of you who had to skip the last chapter  
> tl;dr:   
> Eye contact make enderboy have a panic attack  
> Bee boy Tubbo helps Ranboo down  
> Friendship machine go burr

Ranboo didn't know how long he maintained eye contact with Tubbo, but the growing static in the back of his mind forced him to look elsewhere. It seemed to dull the offending fuzziness, as he began to take in the hybrid in front of him. First, the fluffy brown hair with two antennae poking out between the brunette locks; then just below his eyes, the twin stripes that framed the boy's eyes, a brown similar to his hair. Then looking over Tubbo's shoulder, Ranboo took notice of the two wings that seemed undecided between moving and being still. They would flicker to life, buzzing for only a few moments before stopping just as suddenly, only to start up again in an undefined pattern of sorts. Intrigued by the membranous appendages, Ranboos gaze stayed transfixed on them, something to focus on, something to ground him.

Tubbo watched the newcomer with concerned intrigue, it wasn't often that you met a new person and immediately had to console them through a panic attack. Why was his fellow hybrid, or well, assumed hybrid, this much of a mess? The young president only had more questions and even fewer answers as he watched the figure in front of him calm down.

Dream was the first to break the awkward post-meltdown silence between the two, a fake cough as an attention grabber. Both boys looked up in unison from their place on the floor. Dream, however, did not meet their gaze, instead, he looked off towards the direction of the meeting room.

The masked man spoke simply, "I'm going to key everyone in on what is going on, take your time, but come join us soon." Tubbo nodded and that was all Dream needed before he walked off, hands in his hoodie pocket, with his back turned to them Ranboo could easily see the well crafted netherite axe that was not too long ago pointed at him threateningly. A nervous shiver ran through his body seeing the weapon once again, and he made sure to watch Dream until he disappeared behind into the meeting room. Suddenly the room was loud with questions, though the stone walls did well to muffle the majority of it. Though Ranboo was sure he heard Dream say "Quiet" over the cacophony which seemed to quell some of the discourse in the not so distant room.

"Hey," The calm yet sudden voice of Tubbo pulled Ranboo back to the present, he wiped his head back to face Tubbo only to be reminded that eye contact was an issue. Instead, Ranboo opted to look down at his hands.

“Sorry!” Tubbo quickly apologized realizing that he startled the other boy. 

“Sorry, sorry, that’s on me. Man, you’re really jumpy, you remind me of a cat!” The bee boy continued, trying to make conversation despite the weird situation.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Ranboo provided, not knowing what else to say.

“Oh, there’s no reason to be sorry! You’re fine, uh, Ranboo right?” Tubbo was quick to fix, not wanting Ranboo to worry more.

“Oh, I’m s-” Ranboo quickly bit his tongue, Tubbo just told him he had no reason to be sorry right? He was honestly confused right now, and it did not help that the ender-hybrid lacked any familiar  _ things _ . Dream was the only thing Ranboo could say with certainty he knew right now, even if the man made him feel on edge, Dream was the closest thing to familiar Ranboo had right now.

Tubbo gave a puzzled look, though it would go unnoticed by Ranboo, before sighing and saying, “How ‘bout introductions, my name is Tubbo what’s yours?”

Ranboo paused for a second before looking up, careful not to meet Tubbo’s gaze, instead focussing on the brown stripe makes right below his eyes. “You already know my name? You’ve said it like five times now.” Ranboo quipped though he sounded unsure of himself.

“Yeah but we haven’t been formally introduced, it’s only polite!” Tubbo seemed happy with the progress he had made, at least Ranboo was looking at him again.

“Oh, well, I’m Ranboo,” there was a pregnant pause, it looked like Ranboo had more to say but he ultimately decided against it.

Tubbo beamed regardless, and Ranboo took note of the smile that seemed to cross the boys face, the wings began to move continuously, a rapid hum that filled the corridor.

“Well Ranboo, welcome to the SMP, I don’t know exactly how you got here but welcome!” Tubbo spoke cheerfully, the joy was almost infectious.

“That makes two of us.” Ranboo supplied under his breath.

“What?” Tubbo asked, having not heard the comment.

“Nothing!” Ranboo was quick to fire back.

* * *

Once Drean re-entered the meeting room he was met with questions, people talking over one another, mostly Tommy and Quackity asking about the unknown player and their president but also worry from Bad and confusion from George.

“Quiet.”

While Dream already knew the majority of the room would heed his warning, it was only by the grace of whatever higher being, be it blood god or notch himself, that Tommy listened. He would have to thank Quackity because it seemed the shifter was able to reign in the younger vice. Letting out a sigh, Dream spoke, “Okay, Tubbo is currently calming Ranboo down. If I had to guess why, too much eye contact at once set him off. If I wasn’t sure he was an ender-hybrid before I am now.”

Dream paused, waiting for any comments before continuing, “I found him at spawn scared and confused, he did not know how he got there, doesn’t even seem to know what he is. Had to explain hybrids to him,”

Tommy was ready to jump in, Quackity quickly put up an arm to stop the boy before speaking himself. “That makes no sense Dream, he’s obviously a hybrid, he should know this.” It was moments like this when Dream appreciated the often chaotic glitched-player, while Quackity could be a nuisance, a class clown of sorts from time to time, he knew when to be serious. There’s a reason the player made a great politician.

“I thought so too but believe me when I tell you this kid is clueless. He seems comfortable with basics, could use his com just fine, but he genuinely seems confused. My guess is a major code glitch when he entered the server.” Dream supplied.

“But how did he enter the server, I thought you fixed the protections after Phil got through,” Bad commented, white glowing eyes staring the mask down. The question was presented simply enough, but Dream knew a smirk hid in the inky blackness under Bad’s hood; the demon was challenging the Admin’s ability to keep the server safe. While Dream liked being challenged from time to time he did not like his ability being questioned.

“We all know Philza Minecraft was a very  _ special _ case, that being said I have put up extra precautions, so you need not worry. If Philza had simply hacked onto the server he would have appeared at spawn, we have been over this. I do not believe Ranboo hacked in, even Phil left a mark joining, there is no sign of forced entry.” Dream explained this seemed to placate Bad, the demon giving a simple nod.

“Then how did he get here?” Sam asked simply.

Dream hated admitting defeat, “That I do not know, a major glitch is not out of the question, could explain his memory issues and, I assume, duel hybridization, the one side is enderman, but I don’t know about the other. Honestly, Bad you and the Badlands crew know more about player glitches so I assumed you guys would have some knowledge. If not you then maybe Philza, he’s been around the block enough times and has dealt with enough children.”

“Wait he’s a child?!” Tommy blurted out, Quackity in response hit him over the head, “OW, Hey!”

Dream shrugged, “Maybe, he postures like a nervous teen, I’ve been referring to him as a kid and he hasn’t commented. At the very least he knows about as much as a kid would.”

“So what’s the plan Dream?” George, the King, quick to ask Dream his thoughts. To be honest, the masked man enjoyed having his friend play figurehead, George listed to him more than Eret, not that Dream needed either’s approval.

“I was hoping Bad and co could look him over, if Ranboo is up to it, explain hybrids and glitches to him while you’re at it, see what he knows and what he doesn’t if that’s alright with you Bad.” The masked man started.

“Oooh sounds like fun!” Bad said clapping his hands together, his pointed tail flicking back and forth behind him excitedly.

Dream continued, “As for the long term, he needs to stay somewhere where he can learn, he needs community, friends, he knows me so maybe-”

“No no no, you don’t just get to choose where he goes, this Ranboo guy should have a choice!” Quackity was quick to interrupt, yellow wings flaring behind his back.

“Yeah what Big Q said!” Tommy quipped.

Dream mocked a sigh, “It would be safer if I kept a close eye on him, he could be dangerous.”

“Pfft, as if, we all just looked at the guy and he had a meltdown.” Tommy scoffed.

“Guys” a voice called out.

“Why do you always have to fight me, Tommy.” Dream sighed

“Why do you have to be a controlling dickhead!” Tommy countered.

“Guys!” a familiar voice yelled.

The room silenced, similarly to how Dream had been able to before, everyone turned towards the entrance to the meeting room finding Tubbo with no Ranboo to be found. The small bee-hybrid looked agitated and seemed to be unknowingly hovering a few inches off the ground. After a few moments of silence, he calmed landing quietly on the ground before speaking up. “Dream if it is alright with you I would like to offer Ranboo a place in L’Manburg, we can provide him with the community he needs and help him the best we can. Phil lives among us and, as you said, he has experience with these situations.”

Dream stood there for a moment before relenting, “Alright President Tubbo,” the masked man pretended not to notice Tommy’s obvious fist pump into the air, “but may I ask where Ranboo is now?” 

“Oh! He’s behind the wall right now, he’s a bit overwhelmed, and the whole eyes thing was too much before.” Tubbo supplied easily.

“Yeah, I’m right here.” A white hand appeared from behind the door frame.

Tubbo giggled a little before continuing. “Today’s been a lot, I think we should postpone whatever you want the Badlands to do for a later date, give Ranboo some time to settle? Does that sound fair Dream?”

Dream sighed once again in mock surrender, “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Unless anyone has anything else they want to add,” he waited for a moment, “then I am calling this meeting to an end. Ranboo, you are welcome to stay with us in the castle or go with Tubbo to L’Manburg”

“Oh, Tubbo, definitely.” Ranboo gave a hasty reply from behind the door frame.

“Fair enough.” Dream conceded.

It wasn’t long after that everyone began to file out, first the L’Manburg crew who were quick to usher their new citizen out of the castle, Tubbo quick to grab a muffin off the table for Ranboo to try on their way back. The small hybrid seemed protective over the much larger unknown variable, Dream would almost find it endearing if he didn’t already know it would happen. Bad and Sam followed after, parting in a different direction back to Badlands territory. George and Callahan stayed back to talk to Dream about a less pressing matter but once that was done Dream was alone. Well, not really, opening up his communicator he opened a specific private message

* * *

**< Dream>:** Meet at the Castle, we have a situation to discuss.

**< Punz>:** omw

**< Punz>:** there

**< Dream>:** Did you catch all that?

**< Punz>:** yep


End file.
